Finger-board for violins.



UNITED STATES PATENT OEEcE.

CONRAD L. BECKER, OF SYRACUSE, NEW YORK.

`FINGER-BOARD FOR, VIOLINS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 667,419, dated February5, 1901.

Application filed March 22, 1900. Serial No. 9.672. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, CONRAD L. BECKER, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Syracuse, in the county of Onondaga, in the State ofNew York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Finger-Boards forViolins and other Musical Instruments of that Class, of which thefollowing, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is afull, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to violins and other musical instruments of that:class-wiz., the viola, cello, and bass; and the invention resides in thefinger-boards of said instruments.

The object of the invention is to provide the nger-board with meanswhereby it shall be very desirable for players on said instruments forthe purpose of practicing, wherein it is very effectual in guiding andstrengthening the fingers and also in training the players ear, thusfacilitating the technical part of playing.

To that end the invention consists in the novel construction andcombination of parts, as hereinafter fully described, and set forth inthe claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a top View of a violinhaving its linger-board provided with my invention. Fig. 2 is anenlarged detail top view of a portion of said finger-board. Fig. 3 ispartly an enlarged vertical longitudinal and partly a side view of aportion of the lingerboard and 'neck of the instrument. Fig. 4 is atransverse section on line X X in Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is an enlarged detailplan view of the plate to which the resilient devices are secured. Fig.G is a transverse section on line Y Y in Fig. 5; and Fig. 7 is anenlarged detail side view of one of the keys, showing the resilientdevices and a portion of the plate in cross-I section.

Referring to the drawings, F denotes the iinger-board of the instrument,which is of the usual form, and E, A, D, and G are the strings, whichextend over the finger-board in the usual and well-known manner.

C C represent the keys, which are disposed on the finger-board andarranged to be depressed, and thereby stop the strings of theinstrument. Said keys may be provided for One or more of the strings;but I prefer to employ the same in connection with the inner stringsonly-viz., the A and Das clearly shown in Figs. l and 2. By arrangingthe keys chromatically and at perfect intervals apart the player isenabled to iiuger chords, scales, and other passages absolutely in tune.It will be observed that after the player has practiced a passage on thestrings provided with the keys he or she may repeat the same on theother strings. Said keys are preferably made from pieces of wire bentinto the form of links and are provided on their tops with disks orcaps, which may be secured thereto in any suitable manner or formedintegral therewith by iiattening the upper horizontal portions of thelinks. The vertical portions of the links extend through holes a a,provided in the fingerboard F, whereby they are guided when depressed.The lower horizontal portions of the links are seated in recesses a/ a',formed in the under side of the finger-board when they are in theirnormal positions.

The under side of the finger-board is formed with a longitudinal channelb, the walls b b of which serve in the attachment of the board to theneck B of the instrument.

c represents a plate which is tapered to correspond with thefinger-board and is disposed flatwise in the aforesaid channel b. Tosaid plate are secured the resilient devices herenbefore referred to,which devices consist, preferably, of rubber bands c c', extendinglongitudinally around said plate and held in contact with the aforesaidkeys C C. Said bands pass over openings d d, formed in the plate, whichopenings are under the respective keys to allow the bands to yield whenthe keys are depressed. When the keys are released, the bands restorethe same to their normal positions.

In sliding the plate into the channel b the instrument is to be heldwith the ytop of the finger-board down to cause the links to be seatedin the recesses a a', so as to prevent the plate catching onto saidlinks.

While the rubber bands are employed mainly for the purpose of restoringthe keys to their normal positions, at the same time they serve tostrengthen the player-s fingers, owing to their resistance to thedepression of the keys.

IOO

In order to cause the plate to press the bands firmly against the top ofthe channel b and in contact With the keys, I provide a wedge-shapedblock e in the forward end of said channel, which serves to crowd theplate upward, and at the rear end of said plate is provided a screw e,which passes through the finger-board and plate, as clearly shown inFig. 3.

While I prefer to employ the means just described for attaching theplate to the iinger-board, still it Will be understood that variousdevices may be used.

It will be seen that the plate c and bands c/ c' areindependent of thekeys C C. Therefore in ease the bands c c become broken new bands canreadily be supplied by removing the aforesaid screw e' and sliding theplate out of the channel, and to insure a complete Withdrawal of thebands I provide the bands with a clamping-bar f, which is attached tothe plate, at the rear end thereof, by means of screws f f' It will beunderstood that bands of diiferent thicknesses or lengths may beemployed when it is desired to provide greater or less resistance forthe keys C C, or, in other words, to change the action thereof.

Although I prefer to employ rubber bands for the purpose specified, itshould be noted that by modifying the construction springs or otherresilient devices may be substituted.

By referring to Figs. 4 and 7 of the drawings it will be seen that thestrings of theinstrument pass freely through the keys, and thus the toneof the strings is not affected.

I do not Wish to be limited to the particular form of key herein shownand described, as the same maybe of various construct-ions.

lVhat I claim as my invention isl. In a violin or other musicalinstrument of that class, the combination with the fingerboard, of keysarranged thereon and movable for stopping the strings of the instrument,and resilient devices disposed between said iinger-board and the neck ofthe instrument for restoring said keys to their normal positionssubstantially as described.

2. In a violin or other musical instrument of that cla-ss, thecombination with the fingerboard, of keys arranged thereon for stoppingthe strings of the instrument, and resilient bands under said keys forrestoring the same to their normal positions substantially as described.

3. In a Violin or other musical instrument of that class, thefinger-board formed in its under side with a longitudinal channel, keysarranged on said nger-board and extending to the channel, and resilientdevices in said channel under the keys forthe purpose specified.

4. In a violin or other musical instrument of that class, thecombination with the lingerboard, of a plate detachably secured to theunder side thereof, resilient devices secured to said plate, and keysarranged on said finger-board for stopping the strings of the instrumentand in contact with the resilient devices for the purpose set forth.

5. In a Violin or other musical instrument of that class, thecombination with the fingerboard, of keys arranged thereon for stoppingthe strings of the instrument and passing through the finger-board, andresilient bands extending longitudinally under said fingerboard and incontact with the keys for the purpose set forth.

G. In a Violin or other musical instrument of that class, thecombination with the lingerboard formed in its under side with alongitudinal channel, of keys arranged thereon for stopping the stringsof the instrument and passing through the finger-board to the channel, aplate disposed in said channel, and resilient bandsextendinglongitudinally around said plate and disposed under said bandsfor the purpose set forth.

7. In a violin or other musical instrument of that class, thecombination with the lingerhoard formed in its under side with alongitudinal channel, of keys arranged thereon for stopping the stringsof the instrument and passing through the finger-board to the channel, aplate disposed in said channel and formed with openings under the keys,andresilientbands eXtendinglongitudinally around said plate and passingover the openings, said bands serving to resist the depression of thekeys and to restore the same to their normal positions as set forth andshown.

8. In a violin or other musical instrument of that class, thecombination With the iingerhoard formed in its under side with alongitudinal channel, of keys arranged thereon for stopping the stringsof the instrument and passing through said finger-board to the channel,a wedge-shaped block secured in the front end of the channel, a platedisposed in said channel and engaging said block for the purpose setforth, a screw passing through the finger-board and rear end of saidplate, openings formed in said plate under the aforesaid keys, andresilient bands extending longitudinally around the plate and over saidopenings and in contact with the keys, whereby said keys are allowed tobe depressed and are restored to their normal positions substantially asdescribed.

9. In a violin or other musical instrument of that class, thecombination with the fingerboard, of keys arranged thereon for stoppingthe strings of the instrument and consisting of links extendingvertically through said iinger-board, and resilient devices under saidkeys for the purpose set forth.

l0. In a violin or other musical instrument of that class, thecombination with the {ingerboard, of keys arranged thereon andconsisting of vertically-disposed links, the strings of the instrumentpassing through said links whereby the same are stopped when the keysIIS are depressed, and resilient devices under the l finger-hoard andrestoring the keys to their normal positions substantially as described.

11. In a violin or other musical instrument of that class, the comhination with the fingerboard formed with a longitudinal channel in itsunder side, of keys arranged thereon and consisting of links passingvertically through the same, the strings of the instrument eX- tendingthrough said links, whereby said strings are stopped when the keys aredepressed, and resilient bands extending through said channel and incontact with the keys to restore the same to their normal positionssubstantially as described.

12. In a Violin or other musical instrument of that class, thecombination With the fingerboard formed in its under side with alongitudinal channel, of keys arranged thereon and consisting ofvertically-disposed links passing through the finger-board to thechannel, the strings of the instrument extending through the links,whereby the same are stopped when the keys are depressed, a platedisposed in said channel, and resilient bands extending longitudinallyaround said plate and disposed under the keys to restore the same totheir normal positions substantially as described.

13. In a violin or other musical instrument ot' that class, thecombination with the fingerboard formed in its under side with alongitudinal channel, of keys arranged thereon and consisting ofvertically-disposed links passing through the finger-hoard, the stringsof the instrument extending through said links, whereby the same arestopped when the keys are depressed, a plate disposed in said channeland formed with openings under the keys, and resilient bands extendinglongitudinallyaround said plate and passing over the openings, and incontact with the keys to restore the same to their normal positionssubstantially as described.

14. In a violin or other musical instrument of that class, thecombination with the fingerboard, of keys arranged thereon andconsisting of vertically-disposed links provided with disks or caps ontheir tops, the strings of the instrument extending through said links,whereby the same are stopped When the keys are depressed, and means torestore the keys to their normal positions substantially as described.

CONRAD L. BECKER.

Witnesses:

J. J. LAAss, H. B. SMITH.

